The Saint Louis Billikens will travel to the Robins Center to take on the Richmond Spiders this Friday night in College Basketball action.
The Saint Louis Billikens improved to 19-9 on the season after defeating the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, 72-61, this past Tuesday. Saint Louis led by a 32-27 margin at halftime and was able to pull away in the 2nd half after taking a 66-54 lead with 5:12 left in regulation. Saint Louis shot 52.7% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc while holding Saint Joseph’s to 41.9% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the was for the Billikens was Francis Okoro who had a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, & 1 steal.
On the season, Saint Louis is averaging 78.1 ppg on 46.4% shooting from the field. The Billikens are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 37.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Louis has been led by Gibson Jimerson (16.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Yuri Collins (11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 8.1 apg, 2.0 spg), Francis Okoro (10.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg), & Jordan Nesbitt (9.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg).
Defensively, Saint Louis is allowing their opponents to an average of 67.8 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Billikens have a rebound margin of 6.8 and a turnover margin of 0.1.
The Richmond Spiders improved to 18-10 on the season after defeating the George Washington Colonials, 84-71, this past Tuesday night. Richmond was outstanding on the offensive end against George Washington and was able to pull away late in the 2nd half after taking an 82-65 lead with 5:18 left in regulation. Richmond shot 55.6% from the field & 41.7% from beyond the arc while allowing George Washington to shoot 41.3% from the field & 34.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Spiders was Nathan Cayo who had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.
On the season, Richmond is averaging 73.3 ppg on 44.9% shooting form the field. The Spiders are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 34.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Richmond has been led by Tyler Burton (16.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 spg), Grant Golden (14.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.0 apg), Jacob Gilyard (12.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.0 apg, 3.0 spg), & Nathan Cayo (8.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg).
Defensively, Richmond is allowing their opponents to an average of 69.6 ppg on 44.3% shooting from the field. The Spiders have a rebound margin of -3.0 and a turnover margin of 3.1.
The Billikens are 15-11-1 ATS overall on the season & 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games vs. Richmond. The Spiders are just 4-8-1 ATS at home on the season and 1-4 ATS in their last 4 home games vs. Saint Louis.
Saint Louis has struggled as of late, losing 3 of their last 5 games, however, this is still a good basketball team that has been solid on both ends of the court this season, ranking 31st in scoring offense, 59th in FG%, & 98th in defensive FG%. Richmond has also been led by their offense, which ranks 125th in scoring offense & 68th in three-pointers per game, however, the Spiders have struggled at times on the defensive end as they come into this matchup ranked just 195th in scoring defense, 236th in defensive FG%, & t-299th in rebound margin. Richmond is 10-3 at home, however, Saint Louis is the better defensive team that should have a solid size advantage down low and as the Billikens defeated the Spiders by a 76-69 margin earlier this season, I think the play here is to take Saint Louis in this pick-em. Good Luck!